Citron in Oakland to be reborn as Next Door

The lede item in this week’s print edition of Inside Scoop involves the future of Oakland’s Citron space, which has sat vacant since Citron closed last year.

As reported last summer, Jack Knowles and the À Côté team have been trying to figure out what to do with the adjacent space.

While the 175-seat Rumbo Al Sur nears — Knowles swears it’ll open within a month — they’ve decided Citron’s fate. With À Côté chef Matt Colgan leading the way in the kitchen, Citron will be reborn as Next Door, a downscale, bustling American restaurant and bar.

Like the print edition explains, it’s an interesting twist, since when À Côté opened 10 years ago, it was the downscale alternative to Citron; now the tables are turned.

With Rumbo Al Sur plotting an autumnal debut, and then Preservation Hall/Chapel crossing fingers for early 2012, we won’t even put a date on Next Door quite yet.